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Things To Do in Southern Shores

Southern Shores is a small town in Dare County in the Northern Outer Banks, located south of Duck and north of Kitty Hawk. Stretching from sound to sea, the town of Southern Shores, NC is heralded as one of the most beautiful, well-thought-out developments on the Outer Banks. Interwoven with canals, maritime hardwood forests, dunes, and private beaches, its scenic beauty is hard to match. Real estate agents often call Southern Shores property one of the best Outer Banks values for long-term investment. Southern Shores is positioned south of Duck and north of Kitty Hawk.

Southern Shores was the very first planned community on the northern Outer Banks and the development of this coastal community is mostly thanks to the work of well-known local author David Stick.

Southern Shores consists of approximately 4 square miles of land stretching through the northern Outer Banks alongside NC 12. As you drive though the town along its winding, two-lane road, you'll see open skies, dunes with low scrub vegetation, and magnificent vacation homes including old-style cottages with vintage flattops intermittent with large, expensive homes available for rent for several months out of the calendar year.

If you turn off NC 12 towards the sound, the landscape changes dramatically. Here you'll find quiet neighborhoods filled with homes occupied by year-round residents, towering trees draped with moss, and grass that thrives in the sandy earth.

Comprising of mostly single-family homes, Southern Shores is predominantly a residential town that's uncluttered by some of the commercial aspects of other Outer Banks areas, making it the perfect place to seek solitude. Many year-round residents enjoy fun things to do, like kayaking in the winding canals found on the sound side, relaxing outdoors with a cold drink, or enjoying the day under an umbrella on one of the area's most secluded beaches. A sandy sound side wading beach on North Dogwood Trail is a favorite spot for families with small children thanks to the shallow water and lack of waves.

Browse Southern Shores Vacation Rentals

Southern Shores Rentals

Seaside Vacations offers a wide-array of Southern Shores vacation rentals. With a selection of homes ranging in size and location, Seaside Vacations is sure to have the perfect accommodations in Southern Shores to meet your party’s individual needs. From the oceanfront to sound side, visitors can enjoy watching sunrises from the back of your rental home’s deck to enjoying a picturesque sunset on the sound from a private dock.

Visitors can even find pet-friendly Southern Shores rentals that allow guests to bring along their four-legged friend for a small additional fee. You can rest assured that if you choose to stay with Seaside Vacations, your Outer Banks getaway will be everything you can ask for thanks to our Perfect Vacation Promise.

Spend your days basking in the sun on Southern Shores’ well-cared for and secluded beaches or enjoy a cool drink while relaxing poolside at one of the many homes in our program that feature a private or community pool. Wake up every morning to a stunning sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean or end your day on a high note by watching a sunset on the Currituck Sound to the west. Stop dreaming about spending 7 days in a Southern Shores vacation rentals and begin your search for the perfect rental home with Seaside Vacations today!

Browse Our Southern Shores Vacation Rentals

Shopping in Southern Shores, NC

One of the least commercialized towns located on the northern Outer Banks, Southern Shores has only three locations where vacationers can find retail establishments and restaurants. Situated just east of the Wright Memorial Bridge is The Marketplace (5543 N. Croatan Highway).

You’ll find a Food Lion grocery store, a Starbucks along with several restaurants, and a few other shops that should have all of the essentials you’ll need for a vacation. Located at the corner of Highway 158 and NC 12 at the neck of Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk is Southern Shores Crossing (1 Ocean Boulevard). Coastal Provisions, an art studio, and a spa are the main attractions at this retail shopping complex.

Beaches in Southern Shores, North Carolina

Vacationers who love spending time at the beach and would rather not be within an elbows distance of a nearby beachgoer will certainly enjoy the seclusion on the beaches of Southern Shores. Although easily accessible, visitors can comb the beaches for sea shells in the morning without competition and enjoy the view from the shore without and nearby distractions.

Surfers also enjoy being able to ride waves without competition from other riders and kite surfers can propel into the sky without worry of running into a swimmer. Southern Shores’ beaches are carefully guarded by a team of lifeguards that are on duty every day during the summer. The picturesque natural beauty of Southern Shores’ beaches keeps vacationers coming back year after year – regardless of their home’s distance from the town.